Balancer or leveling mechanism for gasholders



BALANCER OR LEVEILING MECHANISM FOR GAS HOLDERS Filed Dec. 15, 19454 I 2 shgets-sh'eet 1 vr f( J j .If 'v I a l N I I I I I I `I I I Q I I I I I I, Il UJ I I] v II- K5 Il II I II u II -o I I II I\\ lL I\\ Q I II "f I II I ,I I l \I I I l I I II I "D Lu, O u) II l I II=`\"` 00 v j 7`` w q I v A, N l /n l l-T-fl 5 l E: f la --f-m- J I I 0 I I INVENITOR; doHNHW/GGINS A TTORNEY Dec. 28, 1948.

J. H.w1GG1Ns 2,457,762

BALA'NCER OR LEVELING MECHANISM FOR GAS HOLDERS Filed neo. 13, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGB.

INVENTQR; UQHN H.W1GG1N5 A TTORNEY Patented Dec. 28, 1948 UNITED STATES 4PATENT OFFICE BALANCER OR L EVELING MECHAISM FOR GASHOLDERS John H. Wiggins, Chicago, Ill. Application December 13, 1945, Serial No. 634,806

s claims. (c1. 4s-176) This invention relates to gas holders ofthe type that comprise a tank, or equivalent Vstationary part, a vertically-movable roof or bell that rises and falls, and thus varies the internal volume of the gas space of the gas holder, and a balancing mechanism combined with said bell in such a way as to maintain the bell in a level position during the rise and fall of same.

The main object of my invention is to provide a leveling mechanism for gas holders, which, in addition to being provided with a double Wheel, or a wheel having a wide traction surface over which two ilexible members travel side by side, is equipped with vertically-movable guide wheels carried by the bell and arranged sothat said ilexible members travel under said guide wheels. Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a verticaltransverse sectional view of a gas holder equipped with a balancer or leveling mechanism embodying my present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of the left hand side of the gas holder shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational View 'of the right hand side of the gas holder shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the gas holder shown inFigure l.

In my improved balancer or leveling mechanism, the cables or equivalent flexible members that are used to prevent incipient tipping ofthe bell and to maintain the bell in a level'position, lead downwardly from the bell, instead of leading upwardly, and said cables travelunder vertically-movable guide wheels carried by the bell before said cables converge at a double wheel cr pulley, over which said cables travel side by side at a point in advance of the counter-l weight that holds the cables taut. Also, in, my improved leveling mechanism herein illustrated one of the cables or equivalent flexible members used to maintain the bell in a level position, extends transversely across the interior of the tank of the gas holder. Thus, it will be seen that in my improved mechanism herein illustrated, all of the wheels, pulleys or sheaves used to sustain and guide the cables or equivalent exible members that transmit the load of the counterweight to the bell, are disposed at aiV point lowerthan the lowest point reached by the bottom edge of the bell when it moves downwardly, instead of being located in an elevated position above the highest point reached by the top of the bell when in that it eliminates high towers or equivalent upwardly-projecting pulley or wheel supports on the tank side wall; it overcomes the necessity of having one or morecables of the leveling mechanism extend circumferentially around the exterior of the side wall of the tank; and the vertically-movable guide wheels carried by the bell make it possible to reduce theload of the t counterweight by one-half and still get the same balancing force applied to the bell.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, the reference character 5 designates the stationary side wall of the tank of a gas holder equipped with a vertically-movable bell A, whose depending skirt or side wall portion A is arranged in telescopic relationship with the side wall 5 of the tank. Any suitable means may be used to seal the space between the tank side wall and the depending skirt portion of the bell, such, for example, as a conventional flexible sealing element B attached to the tank side wall and to the depending skirt kportion of the bell.

My improved leveling -mechanism in its simplest form, comprises two cables or equivalent Iiexible members E and F atached to opposite ends of a diameter of the tank of the gas holder, preferably to lugs 8 and 9, respectively, located on the exterior of the side wall 5 of the tankiata point lower than the bottom edge of the skirt portion A' of the bell when the bell is in its lowermost position, shown in full lines in Figure '1. The left `hand cable E leads downy wardly from its attaching lug 8, and passes under a vertically-movable guide wheel 2 carried by the bell,` thence upwardly over a double wheel I mounted on the tank side wall 5, and thence downwardly from said double wheel I to a counte'rweight H, the double Wheel l being mounted on a horizontally-disposed support 6 that projects laterally from the tank side wall 5f, as shown in Figure l. The double wheel l consists of aA single member rotatably -mounted on a supporting shaft, and provided with a relatively wide traction surface, or with a plurality of cable grooves disposed so that a plurality of cables or quivalent flexible members can travel over said wheel side by side. The right hand cable F leadsidownwardly .from its attaching lug 9 and passes under a vertically-movable wheel Il carried by thebell, thence upwardly over a guide pulley 3 mounted on the tank side wall 5, and thence transversely across the interior of the tank to the double wheel, over which said cable F leads downwardly to the counterweight H, the guide wheel 3 being mounted on a support i that projects laterally from the tank side wall.

The portion of the cable F that extends transversely across the tank, is preferably supported by a guide G on the interior of the tank that prevents said cable from sagging, and means of any suitable kind is provided for preventing the tank side wall' vfrom leaking at the points where the cable F passes through said side Wall. In the form of my invention herein shown the guide G is formed by a horizontally-disposed, tubular member on the interior of the tank,y whose e'nds are attached in a gas and liquid-tight manner to! the tank side wall 5, the cable F running through said tubular guide G from the right hand guide wheel 3 on the exterior of the tank side wall to the left hand double wheel I over which the cables E and F travel side by side, in advanceof 'the point where said cables are attached to the counterweight H. Preferably, the cable guide G is suspended from the tank sidewall 5 by rods l0 equipped with turnbuckles H, attached at their lower ends to intermedi-ate portions of the cable guide G, and attached at their upper 'ends to the topedge portion ofthe tank side wall.

Any suitable means may be used to mount the vertically-movable guide wheels 2f and 4 on the bell A. In the structure herein illustrated the wheel 2 is rotatably mounted on a horizontally disposed shaft vcarried by a pair of verticallydisposed posts C attached` to the skirt portion A' of the bell, and projecting downwardly from. same, and the vertically-movable guide wheel 4 ifs similarly mounted on al pair of posts D that project. downwardly from the skirt portion of the bell. In order that the bell will be balanced in all dire'ctions, the leveling mechanism comprises an additional pair of cables E 'and F', a counter-Weight- H, and co-acting wheels or pulleys l, 2', 3 and 4, arranged at right angles lto the cables, 'and c0- acting' pulleys and counterweigl-i-t, show-n in Figure 1, so as to cau-se the leveling mechanism to act directly on the bell att-our different points. separated from each other by angles of 90;

In my improved leveling mechanism, 'each of the weights H holds-its c'o-actin'g cables 'E and in sufci'ently tight frictional. engagement with their c'o-acting double wheel I tov cause one cable to instantly become tighter, i'n the 'event the bell starts to tip, thereby effectively preventing incipient tipping of the bell.

The vertically-movable guide wheels 2 and Il on 'the bell, under which the cables travel, make it. possible to reduce the load 'of 'said Weights' by one-half, and still get the same balancing force applied to the bell. During the vertical. movement of the bell, indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1, each of the weights H moves twice 'as far as the bell. As the bell rises, the cables E and F of each set exert the 'same force on the bell, so long as the bell remains level. If the bell tips, then most or all of the .load of the weight H goes into the cable attached to the low side of the bell.

A leveling mechanism of the kind above described is desirable, in that it comprises no .parts that are arranged above the top wall kportieri of the bell. It is also desirable, in that the cable of each set that leads from its counterweight transversely across the tank, is 'arranged on the interior of the tank, preferably inside of a horizontally-disposed, tubular guide inside of the tank,

4 which seals the openings in the tank side wall through which the cable travels.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. A gas holder, comprising a stationary tank, a vertically-movable bell, a pair of flexible members attached to opposite ends of a diameter of the tank, a double wheel mounted on the tank side wall. and' provided with. a wide traction surface over which both of said flexible members travel side by side, a weight attached to both of said exible members at a point beyond said double wheel and disposed so as to hold both of said flexible members taut and in tight frictional engagement with said double wheel, and verticallymovable v'guide wheels on the bell, under which "said `flexible members travel before converging at said double wheel.

A gas holder, comprising a stationary tank, a vertically-movable bell, a leveling mechanism forsaid bell comprising a pair of flexible members attached to opposite ends of a diameter of the tank side wall and arranged on the exterior of same, a pair oi. vertically-movable guide wheels carried byl the bell and arranged below the bottorn edge of the bell, said flexible members leading downwardly from their point of attachment to the tank'side wall and traveling under the vertically-movable wheels carried by the bell, a double Wheel on the tank side wall over which both. of said flexible members travel, a weight attac-hed to both of said flexible members at a point beyond said doubleA wheel and disposed so as t0 hold both of said nexible members in tight fric tional engagement with the traction surface of said double wheel, and a horizontally-disposed, tubular member extending transversely across the interior of the tank, that serves as a housingr for one of said flexible members.

3. A gas holder, comprising a stationary tank, a vertically-movable bell that constitutes the roof for said tank, said bell projecting upwardly above the side wall of the tank, a single wheel and a double wheel `rotatably mounted on stationary supports on the tank side wall at points approximately di'ametrically opposite each other and below the lowest point reached by the bottom edge of the bell when it moves downwardly, two flexible members attached to the tank side wall at opposite ends of a diameter of said wall, downwardly-projecting supports at the lower end of the bell having guide wheels mounted on same,

`said nexi-ble members leading downwardly from their point of attachment to the tank side wall, then under the guide Wheels at the lower end of the bell, and then upwardly to the double wheel at which said flexible members converge and travel in parallel relation over the double wheel, and a weight attached to both of said flexible members at a point beyond said double wheel, so as tor hold both of said ilexible members taut and in tight frictional engagement with said double wheel.

JOHN H. WIGGINS.

vREITER'ENCES CITED lUNITED STATES PATENTS Name v Date Laird July 22, 1947 Number 

